September 24, 2015

Did you miss it? We almost did! The coveted Stanley Cup made a surprise visit to She Beads studio two days ago - on a Sunday (and to all of those unbeknownst to our weekly hours, She Beads is CLOSED EVERY SUNDAY).

Here's the magical story...

Sunday was a busy day: A show at the Women's EXPO and the September New Moon Circle at the studio. Sandy was greeting all of her attendees to the New Moon Circle, a closed event, when a familiar face walked in that wasn't on the guest list! This familiar face whispered to Sandy, "Would you step outside with me for a second?" Confused, Sandy walked outside to a black limo and bigger SUV. Then, out of the limo the husband of the aforementioned 'familiar face' pulled out THE STANLEY CUP! Now, this should NOT be confused with our mini-Stanley Cup that we love to display at shows and take pictures with. This was THE Stanley Cup.

Let me repeat myself....THE STANLEY CUP!

Pardon me while I try to compose myself while writing this all down...Now anyone from around the Chicagoland area or a fan of any NHL team knows how busy of a schedule Lord Stanley has right after a final, so we here at She Beads were just sitting patiently awaiting the time in which we could inquire about a visit. We had been racking our brains trying to think of contacts or people through the organization we could call up, and we had been making good progress so far.

The word (and movie) "Serendipity" comes to mind when thinking of this chance encounter. How amazing was it (1) that the cup was hand delivered to our store without even a whisper mentioned to anyone and (2) that it was done so on a day when we are normally closed?! The New Moon Circles are a vey powerful and meditative time, so should the cup have arrived even 10 minutes later, Sandy may have turned it away, seriously!

While myself (the intern and avid Blackhawks fan) and Alex could not actually be there to witness this greatness, we are still so honored and proud that the Blackhawks organization would think of us as a business that deserved to be in Stanley's presence. We have been making our Blackhawks beads for over a year now, and our time working with the organization has been filled with several wins, heart pounding overtimes and of course, a phenomenal Convention.

New patterns such as the Indian Head and Stanley Cup have been created and thus sparking the Dynasty Collection which was a huge hit. We have had our huge sales and discounts, shoppers ordering from all over the country or coming into the store from all over the state of Illinois, only to buy our Blackhawks beads. They thanked us for everything we have done for the team, but we must also thank the team for everything they have done for us and the rest of the fans out there. Thank you so much, Blackhawks!

We are looking forward to our continued relationship with the team as they continue to grow and win even more Stanley Cup Finals.

August 13, 2015

"We're With The Band."

*The Knox Hamilton Collection will be available as a Fall Collection! Check back soon to get yours!*

Knox Hamilton. It's safe to assume that you know at least their most popular song 'Work It Out', but you know what happens when one assumes? I'll let you finish that one. Let's say you don't know their most popular song, that's ok. Why don't you give it a quick listen right here and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Our owner and super creative kane maker doesn't just have mad skills in the studio, she has an uncanny ability to approach famous bands and musical artists and give them our product. First it was Michael Franti with a set of mala beads, then it was Knox Hamilton. The band loved the beads so much, they wanted their own design! We decided to wait this long to add it into our Fall 2015 Collection - no just kidding we were way swamped with work and just could not get to it until now.

Sandy and Alex were lucky enough to see the band live THREE times! The first couple were at this awesome place in downtown Evanston called Space, near the corner of Dempster and Chicago. Then, hearing that the boys would be at Sun Fest, they amended their travel plans to go a day early and see the band again. They were lucky enough to get a picture (because of Alex's aforementioned stalking abilities) and discuss the possibility for a namesake collection.

This design process was treated with the utmost scrutiny in order to give the band the coolest possible bracelets. We wanted to choose a pattern that would be a part of our He Beads collection but could also be worn by anyone who supports the band. The "Knox" pattern features a darker blue and deep red while "Hamilton" has a warmer tone with its orange and brown themed beads.

The band members are the nicest and coolest guys, so spending time creating a new collection for them was so much fun! Any day in our studio is a day to be creative and artistic, so we just jammed out to their most recent album and started stringing.

Make sure to follow the band on their social media sites like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook also! They post some funny stuff and even their upcoming appearances or show dates.

Okay, so we aren't exactly a military unit but we work *almost* as hard as soldiers. Being a small business, hard work is basically the order of the day, everyday. We love what we do for our customers, so you won't here any complaining from this side.

Typing our fingers to the bone (not really) and editing Instagram posts have paid off! Sandy recently ordered a small batch of Swarovski crystals and set to work finding designs that best complimented the crystal and each of the different personalities of our summer helpers! The Tracey, Laura and Jenny patterns came to life and took the world by storm. Well not the whole world but a girl can dream, right?

The boss - Sandy, not Springsteen - knows us so well, so assigning a bracelet for each of us was a piece of cake. Tracey's purple and white dots and sunbursts describe her energetic and zealous personality to a tee. Laura's calm green swirls and simple blue flower can be attributed to her quiet yet hilarious demeanor. The Jenny's cool blue designs and white flower represent my carefree and casual way of life.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a Summer Squad Collection Bracelet! Unfortunately they are sold out, but don't worry! Our Fall Collections will be arriving shortly!!!

July 21, 2015

The 8th annual Blackhawks Convention was a huge success! She Beads was armed and ready at booth 59 (an awesome corner booth by the way) with a plethora of Blackhawks beads. Jim Malone helped set up our display, so it was obviously the best one there complete with lights, book shelves, and a ton of duct tape...quack quack.

It's no secret that we love the Blackhawks, you'd have to live under a rock for the past 4 months in order to ignore our posts and discounts regarding the hawks, but that wouldn't be ideal because you'd miss out on the deals. And, ya know...you'd be living under a rock.

The convention was a busy, bustling labyrinth of Blackhawks fans, apparel and accessories. The days were filled with shopping, autographs and fun games for the kids. We blew through our product and even sold out of our brand new Dynasty Collection! Our social media was on point as well, offering discounts and free gifts when a cute picture with our pal Lil' Stan was posted. The Go Pro was in full effect as well taking videos and pictures of our adventures around the salons - simply a fancy {French?} word for room...we didn't quite understand that either.

Above is a picture of Sean Grady, a huge Blackhawks and now She Beads fanatic who also plays a little hockey of his own! Sled hockey is an up and coming sport which Sean plays on his team called the Hornets. It is truly his passion and he loves being able to participate in hockey regardless of being confined to a wheelchair. He was so willing to share his stories of playing sled hockey with us, and we loved being able to share our passion of bead making with him.

Although our set up was out of this world, Lil' Stan totally stole the show. We designed a fun contest for customers to post and potentially win a gift card, but even those who didn't post still had a blast taking pictures of the little cup.

Make sure to stay tuned via this blog and other social media posts to be the first to see new designs, discounts or free gifts! Don't hesitate to follow us on our accounts:

Facebook: She Beads

Instagram: shebeads

Twitter: @SheBeadsJewelry

June 25, 2015

The Summer Solstice Celebration at Athleta

It all started at Wanderlust, that cold and dreary day at the end of May, where Mother Nature scoffed at us for thinking it was actually turning into summer. We had our tent with Intention Beads and soon realized that we positioned next to the one and only Athleta. Our tent was almost funny in comparison to theirs. While we had a simple, small tent liable to blow away with the wind along with our hopes of sunshine, Athleta's tent was a huge, well-anchored area for them to set up not only several racks of clothes, but a hair braiding station - so cool!

We soon realized that we liked each others company and had several things in common with respect to our clientele. One of our fearless leaders then called up Athleta a few days later, and they invited us to join them for their summer solstice celebration at their Oak St location downtown! It was awesome. Our minds started working just as fast as our bead makers' hands trying to think of a set up worthy of Athleta. Soon, we had the idea to utilize our social media platforms to launch the event.

Everyone who would attend the Oak St store could post on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter for a chance to win a free Orbit Necklace! We used our creativity to set up a "Wall of Intentions" where the shoppers would post an intention or affirmation of theirs they wished to fulfill. The response we got was amazing! There was so much positivity flowing from those in the store and we were so pleased to be able to share that moment with them.

We hope to continue to work with Athleta in the future and bring strength, peace of mind, and positivity to our customers! Power to the She!

June 18, 2015

Well, June has been a super busy month for us here at She Beads but we have loved it! Every now and then, we want to go outside of our studio in Wilmette and show our products at street festivals or art shows. Lately, we have been running around all over the Chicago land area bringing bracelets, earrings, etc. to brand new customers!

Back at the very end of May, Intention Beads had a tent at the very cold, very wet, very fun Wanderlust 108 festival! Watching the participants run a 5k, do a full yoga practice and follow that up with meditation all in the rain, we were inspired. We loved being a part of Wanderlust and hope to be back again soon!

This past weekend was a super busy one as She Beads had a tent at the Wells St Art Festival. Wells St was an awesome location and time to showcase our Blackhawks beads! With game 5 on Saturday night, fans needed last minute garnishments to their fan wear. Then on Sunday, fans were super excited to stock up for Monday's game 6 on home ice. The Blackhawks were able to clinch the series as well as bring Stanley back home!

Sandy was present at the world famous Celebrate Your Life expo where she sold her popular Orbit Necklaces with Intention Beads during the same weekend as Wells St. It was a long four days for her, but the crowd was amazing and the speakers present were profound. Her show there was a successful one, and she was very excited to be invited to sell her products there.

June 18, 2015

Congratulations Blackhawks!

She Beads has had a blast working with the Blackhawks and NHL to get local licensing in order to turn our customers into super fans. Our licensing started about a year ago, and the growth and support of the team we have seen as a result is amazing!

We soon realized that every time we had posted, Tweeted or emailed regarding the Blackhawks they won! It was at that point where we said, "Okay, it's time for another flash sale." Well we gave the people what they wanted, and offered a discount depending on how many goals the Blackhawks scored in game 7 against Anaheim. It was a very fast four goals and the orders came flooding in the next day. We worked effortlessly to complete the nearly 150 orders and had a lot of fun doing it, we even constructed our very own Stanley Cup out of the boxes to be shipped out that day.

Then...

We were finally in the Stanley Cup Finals! To have a little fun, we thought to showcase a 'She Beads Player of the Game'. We chose a player, dressed up as them in a beard, and thought of a great bio for them complete with 'Fun Facts'.

To stir up the competition among our customers, we introduced a social media contest. The person to show their Blackhawks pride and garner the most Likes, Favorites, or Retweets would be the proud owner of a $25 gift card! We received so many great submissions so it was an awesome way to show support for both She Beads and the Blackhawks!

Congrats again to the best team and best fans in hockey! We look forward to our continued relationship with the team and the NHL. Go Blackhawks!